New Delhi: Having undergone a complete overhaul as far as the coaching staff is concerned, a bigger and trickier call for the Mumbai Indians‘ decision-making group will be deciding on a possible captain, with the two likely options being the tried and tested Rohit Sharma or a relatively inexperienced Tilak Varma.
There are two more super seniors: T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who is also at the back-end of his career, and the peerless Jasprit Bumrah, who many believe shouldn’t be burdened with captaincy.
While Mumbai Indians are yet to confirm any trade offers for Pandya, their captain for the last three seasons, it looks unlikely that the flamboyant Baroda man will be leading one of the IPL’s most popular franchises during the upcoming season even if he stays back.
There is a mega-auction after 2027 IPL where most teams will be rebuilding their squads from scratch with an eye on the next five to seven years.
But the next edition of the IPL is one tournament where MI owner Akash Ambani, top official Rahul Sanghvi, and head coach Kieron Pollard –the three decision-makers — will have to make that call: whether to go back to their five-time IPL-winning skipper one last time, or straightaway look to make a fresh start with India’s T20 vice-captain Tilak.
Rohit for one season could be the safest choice
Rohit will be turning 40 in the middle of next year’s IPL. Logically, the 2027 cash-rich event should be his last as a player in an MI jersey, before he retires after the 2027 ODI World Cup, for which he is preparing with all his might.
When it comes to astute thinking and on-field leadership, Rohit still doesn’t have any substitute, but there has been a tectonic shift in how franchise think-tanks go about their jobs, armed with analytics and an eye on the bigger picture.
However, for MI, who are going through that transition phase, there is possibly no one who can hand-hold the team for a year before the mega-auctions.
Rohit has mostly been used as an ‘Impact Player’ over the last couple of seasons. However, if he becomes captain, MI will have the flexibility to use someone else as a substitute depending on the match situation.
Tilak, who is being looked at as a future leader and is an out-and-out MI home boy, could be an understudy before he can take over as the long-term option for at least the next five years.
Relationship with new head coach Kieron Pollard
Of the five titles that Rohit won as captain with Mumbai Indians, Pollard was an integral part of them all. He is perhaps one of the few cricketers who have witnessed Rohit through every phase of his captaincy: the start, the peak years, and the business end.
No one understands ‘Captain Sharma’ more than ‘Polly Kaka’ (as he is affectionately known in MI inner circles). The duo pulled off some amazing come-from-behind performances in various IPL-winning campaigns.
Also, in IPL 2027, MI won’t be changing the team composition way too much; hence, Rohit remains the best leader with whatever assortment of players is available.
As far as Tilak is concerned, he would love to start off his leadership (if handed over) with a clean slate and have a say in the recruitment of players at the mega-auction.
Where does it leave Hardik Pandya?
If people who track Hardik Pandya’s movements closely are to be believed, there is more than a 90 percent chance that a trade will happen sooner or later.
“Hardik isn’t a confrontational person. In case, MI doesn’t get a suitable trade for him, he will certainly stay back for a year and give his 110-120 percent. It won’t matter if he is the captain or not, there will be no lack of commitment.
“But trade isn’t something that is in his hands. It is up to MI ownership to see the pros and cons for any trade offer that comes along,” an IPL source told.